


Orange

by codafortuna



Series: Pokemon: Opal [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, Curses, Gen, Insanity, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2018-12-11 13:30:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11715366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codafortuna/pseuds/codafortuna
Summary: A centuries-old curse brought by Tapu Bulu may finally be broken by the actions of Coda Fortuna, a young boy from New Bark Town, who suffers from the effects of the curse himself.





	1. Prologue

Prologue-  
560 years ago  
Sand blew harshly across the Ruins of Abundance, snaking it's way around in the air like spirits. As the sandy hills shifted and rippled beneath the wind, the grains flung skyward came to an unexpected halt on the wide-brimmed hat of a teenage boy. He stood there, looking up slightly at the cave before him, dark brown eyes flashing with excitement and a hint of mischief, in spite of the harsh sun beating down on them. Beneath the hat, reddish-brown hair was wrapped into a low ponytail, halting just before his waist, and flapping with a strange stiffness in the breeze. He leaned on a walking stick designed for someone far older, and looked forward, as if waiting for something, until a decision seemed to be made, and he walked forward.   
The altar of Tapu Bulu was relatively untouched, but the boy walked forward as if he'd been there thousands of times before, walking with a confidence anyone would have found strange. He walked to the center of the room, head tilted casually upwards as he slipped the hat off his head to stare at the altar, eyes roving slowly over the red-painted walls, unimpressed.  
"Tapu Bulu!" He called out, voice ringing out gently throughout the cavernous room, "I know you're here, I want to talk to you!"  
Silence followed, save for the echoing of the boy's voice, until that too faded. He smirked, arms folded, "I can wait all day, Tapu Bulu. I've cleared my ENTIRE schedule, I have NOTHING going on."  
More silence, before the air before the altar seemed to ripple. In a burst of green and red light, and a roar, Tapu Bulu appeared. The boy didn't react.  
"WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME?!" Tapu Bulu roared.   
"I need to talk to you." The boy answered casually. Tapu Bulu hesitated a moment, eyes squinting a little, before its eyes widened in surprise.  
"Seth Infernace?" Tapu Bulu asked, "What in Alola are you doing here? You are supposed to be completing your island trial. Don't tell me that the trial captains are now sending you children to me."  
"I finished my trial." Seth shrugged, sitting on the hard rock floor, "It wasn't easy, but I think I did alright. I actually wanted to talk to you about what I'm going to do next. See, the thing is, I'm not satisfied with completing my challenge. Something feels like it's missing, and I don't know what. The elders at the village told me to come to you, like I always do."  
Tapu Bulu sat in silence for a moment, seeming to recline in midair in relaxation, "Why not battle more? Surely you could always grow stronger than you are now, and then you could be the greatest on the island."  
"There's not a trainer on this island, or on any other island, that could beat me." Seth laughed harshly, "I've gotten bored with them. And I've seen every pokemon this region has to offer, including..." Seth's hand slowly went to his staff in absent thought, "ones that it doesn't...."  
Tapu Bulu regarded that carefully, before returning it’s attention to the boy, "Why are you here, Seth? Truly?"  
Seth took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, "I'm here to challenge you, Tapu Bulu. You're our guardian, and you've been watching over me, guiding me, throughout this entire challenge. I want to prove that I'm strong enough so that I don't-" He paused, for the first time looking embarrassed, "That is to say, I have appreciated your help, but..."  
"You want to survive on your own." Tapu Bulu said. It seemed to think for a moment, reclining even more slowly, until it was nearly flipped over. "And then what? What do you plan on doing once you defeat me?"  
Seth faltered for just a moment, before continuing with steely resolve, "Then I'll challenge the others! The other guardians, if they can't beat me, then that means that I'm the best!"  
Tapu Bulu paused in midair, surveying the boy, "Do you have to be the best, Seth?"  
Seth stared at him, the mischief leaving his eyes, "It's all I ever wanted. I need this, Tapu Bulu."  
Tapu Bulu shook itself out, and the stone ground beneath them suddenly turned to pure green grass, soft and bright, and slightly invigorating in scent. Seth smiled as Tapu Bulu faced him.  
"Alright then, child." Tapu Bulu said, "I will battle you, simply because I’ve known you all your life. And, if you win, I can assure you that you, as well as all who follow, will be the greatest in the land, wherever that land may be. But," And Tapu Bulu's voice grew severe, "You are ONLY to fight me. I know you trainers have ways of ensnaring Pokemon to your side. You are not to try to do that with me, do you understand?"  
Seth hesitated, before slumping his shoulders a little, "But-"  
"SETH INFERNACE." Tapu Bulu roared, "Do you swear that you will not attempt to capture me?"  
Seth paused a moment more, before nodding slowly, "I do."  
And the battle began.  
Seth jumped to his feet, kicking his stick into his hands. The tip briefly glowed red, and a Charizard erupted outwards in a pillar of fire. Tapu Bulu paused, before narrowing it’s eyes,  
"That Pokemon is not from Alola." It snapped.  
"That wasn't part of the agreement." Seth chuckled, shrugging, "It was a gift. Charizard, use fire blast!"  
The Charizard roared in response, before unleashing an explosion of flame towards Tapu Bulu. Tapu Bulu feinted to the right, dodging easily. A small flash of light followed, and Charizard shuddered. Seth smiled.  
"Disable? Isn't that a little cheap for you?"  
"Call your next move, child."  
Seth's smirk didn't waver, "Use flare blitz!"   
Fire encircled the Charizard, and she rushed Tapu Bulu. The guardian pokemon made to move to the side, but it was too slow this time. The flames hit it the moment that the guardian let out a burst of pink energy, which slammed into the Charizard, knocking her aside. The ground shook, sending waves of dust into the air. When it settled, Seth looked up, eyes blazing. Charizard was shaking a little, breaths coming heavier and heavier. She swayed a little, the fire on the tip of her tail wavering. Tapu Bulu still stood as well, looking just as bad. A large burn had appeared on it’s side, and the pokemon sneered at the Charizard with a look of determined rage in it’s eyes. Seth stared back, fingers tightening on the staff. He was about to call his next attack, sure he was going to use flamethrower, when something strange happened. For the first time, a small worm of uncertainty burrowed its way into Seth’s brain. He was going to lose. Tapu Bulu was in bad shape, and burned, but Charizard had it worse. He could tell that his pokemon could barely stay up after being hit both by Tapu Bulu's infamous Nature's Madness, and the recoil from the flare blitz. Seth wasn't sure if she could be faster than the guardian pokemon. In all his practices, in all his battles, Seth had never imagined that he could possibly lose to Tapu Bulu. He flashed through everything that could happen, the shame of coming back to his home having gone so far only to lose. He’d never be able to live down the humiliation of losing to a wild pokemon, even if it was the guardian of his island. And he didn’t dare think about what his father would do if he came back with that kind of dishonor brought to their family. Seth looked at Tapu Bulu, clearly preparing another attack, and in an instant, he made his decision.   
He flipped the staff upside-down, and held it out to Tapu Bulu. The guardian froze in shock as yellow light erupted from it's tip, cloaking Tapu Bulu completely. Seth planted his feet as Tapu Bulu pulled against the energy of the staff, dragging him slowly forward. With a grunt of exertion, he pulled back, and Tapu Bulu vanished into the staff. Seth clutched it close, eyes closing.  
"I'm sorry, my friend." He whispered, "I don't think you understand how much I need this."  
Then the staff exploded.  
Seth screamed as he was flung backwards, landing harshly on the returned stone floor, gasping as his arm cracked. Tapu Bulu stood before Seth, glowing a bright red color. Seth scrambled backwards as Tapu Bulu roared at him.  
"SETH INFERNACE YOU BROKE YOUR OATH."  
"I needed this!" Seth screamed back, "I needed this, Tapu Bulu, please! I have to-"  
"HAVE TO WHAT??" Tapu Bulu snarled, "YOU HAVE TO WHAT, INFERNACE? WIN? DO YOU HAVE TO WIN NO MATTER THE COST TO THOSE AROUND YOU? IS THAT WHAT YOU MUST DO?" The guardian pokemon took a deep, angry breath, staring at Seth with unbridled pain and rage. Hurt burned in it’s eyes more hotly than the burn that covered it’s body. Tapu Bulu’s voice quieted. "You could have won, Seth Infernace, if you had trusted your own abilities. You could have won, and I would have fulfilled my promise, but now you've any chance of that."  
Their eyes met, and the air around Tapu Bulu grew pink.  
"Please." Seth whispered.  
"I wish you hadn't done this." Tapu Bulu said softly, "I truly do. From this day forward, until one of your kin proves yourselves to me, I will strike you, and every member of your family with this sickness." He hesitated once more, before the vibrant pink turned almost acidic, "From the moment they touch their first pokemon, and begin their journey, I will cloud their minds and haunt their dreams. I will not give them an illness of the body, that could be cured by medicine or prayer. I will infect their minds and souls, and you will wander this earth knowing only that you could have been the greatest of us all. And you threw it away."  
Before Seth could respond, the pink wave exploded outwards. He watched it come for him, unable to look away, as his dark brown eyes warped with the madness inflicted upon him. Miles away, every member of his family collapsed in agony as Tapu Bulu's curse wormed it's way into their bodies, burying itself deep into their brains until nothing could hope to dig it out. Children, too young to travel with pokemon, fled their homes in horror as their parents fell to it. Some reached for the family pets, seeking only comfort, and instantly fell to the madness as well. Across Alola, Johto, Hoenn, across the world, people stopped and screamed as every inhibition was exorcised from their bodies. Their eyes faded from their natural greens blues and browns as the curse hit them, twisting the color, sapping it, and darkening it until it was as red as the shell on Tapu Bulu. Some stood very still, catatonic from the blast, while some raced into the towns they lived, spreading chaos. Trainers wandered into the woods, never to be heard from again. And, all the while, their Pokemon stayed beside them, fiercely trying to protect them from something none of them could see. On the furthest shores of Poni island, a man desperately reached for Tapu Fini, eyes warping, screaming at his guardian to protect him, begging for mercy from the horrors only he could now see. Seth screamed as his thoughts broke and frayed, all memories of who he’d once been and all he’d dreamed of being faded from him, replaced only by the pulsing red of madness. The red-eye plague was over as soon as it started, but the havoc spreading across the world continued in a wave of horror.

Seth slowly stood, newly red eyes unsteady. He walked aimlessly out of the cave, his confused Charizard trailing behind. In the distance, a siren screeched out as some fell more dangerously. He stumbled down the hill, wandering into the Haina desert, walking like a marionette, as if he truly had no control over his own motions. An hour passed, before he stood at the edge of Ula'Ula island. The sharp cliff beneath him jutted out over the ocean, sending gravel tumbling below. Seth stared dreamily out at it, looking over his shoulder only once. Tapu Bulu floated behind him.  
"I am the spirit of life." It said, "I will not let you die."  
Seth stepped off the edge, and a second flash followed, this one green. It erupted over the country again, only reaching those who had survived the first round. Seth hit the water, but none of his bones broke, and he did not die. The arm that had shattered from the explosion wove back together, and a shockwave of pink followed, knocking away the hungry Sharpedos that were tempted by Seth's body. Seth lay in the water, staring uncomprehendingly as Tapu Bulu floated above him.  
"A final gift." Tapu Bulu said softly, "For I know who you were before all of this. I give you my power, gifted by the water that sustains the plants I create. But, know this Seth Infernace. You broke your oath to me, and for that, I leave you. I will never look favorably upon your family again. I have lost my faith in your kind." The words fell upon deaf ears. Seth no longer watched Tapu Bulu, contenting himself with watching the fish far below. He would not look up again for some time. And, when he did, Tapu Bulu would be long gone.


	2. Chapter 1

New Bark Town-Modern Day  
"Gold, there you are! I needed to ask you a favor..." Professor Elm's voice drifted up into the vents, as Coda adjusted himself a little more to be more comfortable as he waited. He was wedged into the ventilation shaft, back pressed against the cold metal shaft above him. He was chewing on his lip, a very thin trail of blood trickling it's way down to his chin. In one hand, he was tapping a pokeball against his knee, keeping time with a beat only he seemed to be able to hear. He looked like a fairly normal thirteen-year old boy, with skin of a medium brown with a splattering of freckles over his face. He had short, spiky dark purple hair, with a few streaks of a lighter, silvery purple like highlights. However, the one thing that seemed to stand out most about him was his eyes. They were a shade of red so intense they seemed to leap off his face, almost glowing in the dark with how bright they were. They seemed to have an almost twisted quality to them, and they moved around in his head jerkily, as if he was watching something, or if he were extremely nervous. He paused the pokeball's movement, for a moment, tilting his head as if to listen more closely as Professor Elm's voice suddenly turned nervous.  
"So, you like Chikorita, the grass Pokemon?"  
The pokeball continued moving, but this time, Coda's eyes had gone still, and he was staring intently through the slats of the vent at the boy and professor beneath him. The boy was a little younger than he was, maybe about ten, but Coda's eyes quickly twitched elsewhere as if he were tired of looking at them. His eyes focused this time on the table in the center of the lab. There was one more ball on the table that, based on what the professor had suggested earlier, held the water pokemon Todotile. Water and grass... it was strange to him that there was no fire-type there. He held up his pokeball, smiling at the Magikarp wriggling excitedly inside.  
"Well, the's why we're here. Right, Adagio?"  
The magikarp seemed to wriggle in excitement as the professor led the other boy out, chattering excitedly about some weirdo called Mr. Pokemon. The second the door swung shut behind them, Coda began unscrewing the vent, letting it clatter to the ground. He scrambled out, landing heavily on all fours, before straightening. He pocketed the pokeball, and walked over to the remaining ball on the table, rolling it back and forth under his fingertip.  
"Hey, little guy." He said gently, "You mind telling me where your buddy is?"  
Predictably, the Totodile stayed silent. However, it's eyes briefly flickered to the side, towards a small, out of place bookcase. Coda smiled, stilling his movement, "That's alright, I get it." He stood, pulling the ball from his blue hoodie pocket, and released the Magikarp. She let out a joyful cry as she flopped back and forth, bumping gently into his legs and outstretched hand. "Hey." He said eagerly, "Hey, yes, I see you Adagio. I-" He broke off, chuckling as Adagio suddenly noticed the Totodile's pokeball, and abruptly slammed into the table, nearly breaking it with her weight. Coda caught her as she bounced back down, letting her snuggle into his arms for a moment,  
"Hey, girl, I missed you too. Don't worry about the Totodile, I'm not replacing you with her. No I'm not. Nope." He chuckled as her whiskers flicked across his face briefly, before he set her back down, "This is going to be rough when you evolve." He pointed to the bookshelf, "I need you to use tackle on that, okay Adagio?"  
She tilted her head at him curiously, before flopping over to the bookshelf, and crashing into it. As he'd expected, there was a door behind it that he tried to open. It was locked, so he reared back, and flung his whole weight against it. Behind him, the door flew open, and Professor Elm stood there in surprise, dropping his clipboard at the sight of them.  
"What....who are you!?" He yelled, "How did you get into-" That was as far as he got before Coda grabbed the Totodile's ball, and whipped it at him. It hit Professor Elm in the face, probably breaking his nose, and knocking him over. Coda waited a moment, watching the man's bloody nose well up, but Elm didn't wake up. With a shrug, Coda went back to slamming against the door. He smiled down at Adagio, who was watching him eagerly.  
"Tackle?" He implored, and his Magikarp instantly crashed through the door. He loped through the door, looking around at the small room they'd come in on. It was filled with shelves, each one with lines of pokeballs in them. Coda leaned over a few of the shelves, before noticing the one he was looking for. When he touched it, he wasn't at all surprised to feel it burn against his skin from the heat of it. He took it anyway, ignoring the blisters forming on his skin, and opened it. Instantly, a small spiny ball of fire erupted out at him, clamping it's teeth on his arm. Coda smiled as blood splurted out of the injury, shaking his arm a little as the Cyndaquil growled.  
"You can't learn bite, you silly bastard."  
The cyndaquil paused, clearly confused by his lack of reaction, before it continued to gnaw at his arm. Coda smiled dreamily, lowering his arm until the little creature's legs were on the ground. Adagio made a warning noise, flopping in a threatening manner, before the cyndaquil reluctantly let go. It stared at him, snorting audibly as jets of fire erupted all over it's back.  
"You know," Coda smiled eagerly at the pokemon, "I heard a lot of people talking about you when I came into this town. They told me you were left here at the professor's lab, and that you nearly burned it down. It sounds awesome." He knelt down, bringing his face dangerously close to the cyndaquil's face, "See, I kind of have a mission that I need your help with, something that could save someone's life one day. I have Adagio here, but she can't handle the kind of fight I need." Adagio rammed affectionately into his leg, nearly knocking him over, "I won't leave you anywhere." He promised, "I know it probably hurt when your trainer left, but I won't do that to you. Just be my partner, and I'll take you to see the world."  
The cyndaquil stared at him for a moment, before looking away, starting to wander back to it's pokeball. Coda smiled, dragging him back in front, ignoring the instant burns that went up and down his arms as the sleeves of his hoodie burst into flame. He shrugged it off before the rest of his shirt could catch fire, letting it smolder on the floor,  
"You'd never have to take responsibility for another thing in your life." He wheedled, "I'd be your trainer. If you burn another building down, I promise to pretend it was meeee."  
Instantly, the cyndaquil looked at him with genuine interest, tilting its head. Coda smiled, reaching over to take the pokemon's ball. He held it out, head tilted, burning red eyes staring intently at the creature in front of him. He held out the ball, teeth shining in the very slight light,  
"Come on." He teased, "I need you to beat the championships. Think of all you could burn between now and then."  
The cyndaquil lurched forward, pressing his nose against the ball. A bright red light shone out, bathing him completely, and he went into the ball. Coda held it tightly, feeling it wriggle once, before going completely still. His smile grew, and he shrunk the ball, pocketing it again. He returned Adagio, pocketing her as well, before turning to walk back out the door. He stepped over Elm's unconscious form walking out into the bright sunlight. His arms were stained with the blood of his bite and multiple burns had grown sticky and stiff, but he acted as though he couldn't even feel them. As he passed outside, a slightly younger, red-haired boy paused, one hand reaching for the doorknob, a lockpick in his other. Coda smiled.  
"Door's open." He said cheerfully, and walked away before the boy could say anything. As he walked, he pulled out the cyndaquil's ball, staring through the red glassy surface at the creature inside. He tilted his head as if in thought, before nodding a little.  
"I'll call you Mars."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 of Pokemon Opal: Orange.


	3. Chapter 2

A small house stood at the edge of Ecruteak city. It was a single-story home, with a low roof and wide windows in the front. It was located in a strangely barren area of land, dry, dirt-covered and without a single sprig of grass anywhere within ten feet of it. The entirety of the house was surrounded by an unusually high fence, with a tightly latched gate. Coda leaned on the gate, head leaning over the very top of it. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, his purple hair ratty, and red eyes shining unusually brightly against the dark shadows under his eyes. A woman in a high-necked and long-sleeved teal dress was kneeling on the ground, tearing grass out of the ground with frustration.  
"Mom." He sounded like he'd been saying it for hours, based on the roughness of his voice, but he didn't look like he was anywhere close to stopping. The woman, his mother, sighed quietly, and finally looked up at him. Strands of greyish-purple hair fell out of her face, revealing strange dark green eyes with eerie red streaks throughout the irises like veins.  
"Coda, I'm sorry." She said softly, "I'm not letting you in with those things." She sighed, standing up to brush dirt off of her dress, revealing a slightly rounded stomach.  
"I'm not going to hurt the baby, mom." He said cheerfully, "I'll leave Mars and Adagio outside, I promise."  
She eyed him silently for a moment, before brushing the dirt off her hands and walking over to him. She eyed the pokeballs at his belt, before trying to look at his unfocused eyes.  
"I need you to promise me, Coda." She said coldly, "You can come in, but you MUST leave them outside. Do you understand why?"  
Coda sighed, leaning away, gripping the fence to pull on it a little, "Yes, mother. Because if the pokemon somehow manage to touch you, then you'll be just like me." His smile briefly wavered, "And how truly awful that would be. Come on, open the gate, I need to talk to you."  
His mother watched him as he carefully undid his belt, and slung it over the fence, not seeming to notice when she twitched away as if the balls were made of acid. The moment the belt was off, she opened the gate, and pulled him in. He smiled again, letting her drag him into a tight embrace, keeping his arms flat at his side until she let go.  
"It's good to see you." She said softly. "Come inside."

Coda sat at the wide oak table inside their house, looking around at the multiple locks and safety measures around their house. They'd been around as long as he could remember, back to the days of his mother's horrified screams as she ran over to keep him from unlocking it. Of course, that had been before he'd met Adagio. He leaned over the table, watching his mother pour some tea, setting it down in front of him.  
"I'm sorry I didn't make anything for you to eat. I didn't know you were coming."  
"That's alright." He reached into his backpack, and pulled out strange, orange-speckled, lumpy cookies, "I made these out of razz berries I found outside a graveyard. I found out through my usual trial and error that unripe ones are EXTREMELY poisonous." He laughed serenely, "I almost died."  
His mother smiled nervously, before sitting down across from him. He offered her one, but she quickly shook her head and took her teacup.  
"You'll have to excuse my jumpiness." She said softly, "It's hard to forget certain..... events."  
"Oh, I remember grandma murdered people." Coda chuckled, "What a crazy woman. But you don't need to worry about that. I'm not like dad, either, it's my own unique, wonderful kind of thought process!" He energetically tapped the cookie on the table, pausing when he saw a discolored lump inside, before taking a bite, "All I see is my goal. I know I need to get to it, I know I need to have pokemon to get there, and that's all I see! I've never felt so clearheaded!"  
"Coda." His mother said in a pained voice, "Sweetheart, you know it isn't you being clearheaded. You're sick, like your father was."  
"Yeah, but that was your fault." Coda swallowed the cookie, "He would have been fine if you hadn't married him."  
His mother twitched, gripping the table, "Coda." She ground out, "Don't say things like that."  
"Oh, is that one of those things I shouldn't say? Sorry, mom." Coda said, not sounding at all sorry, "But, listen, it doesn't matter. I have a plan so the baby will have a future instead of being a pathetic shut-in like...." he paused, managing to read her look, "Grandma." He sighed, awkwardly tugging on the lighter purple streak in his hair, "I'm sorry, mom. I can't really think clearly. All I can think about is this plan I have, and how incredible it is! I'm going to win the pokemon league!"  
His mother put her teacup down, staring at her child in complete silence. He grabbed another cookie, gnawing on it energetically. She gripped her dress, looking slowly away.  
"Coda, maybe that's not such a good idea. Sweetheart, maybe you should go back to Alola. We left those islands in the first place to keep this from happening. Alola is so ripe with pokemon everywhere, crawling through the streets and into people's houses." She shuddered, "But maybe it would have been better to leave you with my brother. He at least could have given you a full life, while still protecting you."  
"It wasn't your fault, mom." Coda rocked back in his chair, "We can't all have been protected by the loving blessing of Tapu Fini like his wife was. Aura's a bitch."  
"Coda!" She snapped, before sighing exhaustedly, "Coda, I don't want you to to do this. For the past 500 years, members of our family sporadically try to break Seth's curse, and they never get even close. They always end up either dead, missing, or worse."  
"What's worse than dead or missing?" Coda sounded legitimately interested, but his mother continued quickly,  
"Everyone in our family who has tried has failed miserably. I don't want that for you."  
"So I won't fail miserably! I mean, I might fail, but not miserably. Listen." He dropped his chair down, scuffing the wood, and sat on the table next to her, "One of the benefits of this curse thing is that our auras make dangerous pokemon like us! Except Lucario, they hate us. But if I can wrangle these pokemon, I can sweep the competition, and that'll have to be enough to impress Tapu Bulu."  
"But what if it isn't?" His mother asked nervously, "Being around more pokemon could just make you worse than you are now!"  
"Well, I can't get any better." Coda shrugged, "The best I can hope for is fixing it so the baby doesn't die. If Adagio could get over the fence, then who knows what else could? And you can't just keep them indoors all the time."  
"We could move elsewhere!" She said nervously, "Somewhere where there aren't any pokemon."  
"Where exactly is that?" Coda laughed harshly, "In Unova you could accidentally touch a pokemon digging through the garbage! Look, nowhere is safe for you. I might as well do something to try and fix it. And, if I die, you'll have a replacement child in only a few months!"  
Coda's mother gripped the front of her dress, eyes wide, "Coda. Please don't say that, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you."  
"I'm already screwed over, it's fine." Coda swung his legs a little, before hopping off the table, "Besides, I've never been happier, mom. This could be fun!"  
Coda's mother looked at him, before sadly casting her eyes to the floor. A few moments passed, before she stood silently.  
"I don't think you'd care enough to listen, even if I told you not to go." She said softly.  
"Oh, of course I don't." Coda leaned over, kissing her on the forehead, "But don't worry about me. I'll look after myself, and, if it'll make you feel better, I'll occasionally call you on the pokegear."  
"No," His mother said tiredly, "I can't give you the advice you need with this kind of thing. Call your cousin Day, she'll be able to help."  
"Gotta love the sane half of the family." Coda laughed, "I'll be on my way, okay?" he said cheerfully. He unlocked the front door, and grabbed his belt and wrapped it around his waist, looking at his mother's face as she stood at the door.  
"Where are you starting?" She asked.  
"I need to collect some supplies tomorrow, and then I'm going to Violet city."  
His mother sighed, one hand touching her stomach, "Please don't die, Coda."  
"Never plan to!" He said cheerfully, waving goodbye.


	4. Chapter 3

Coda stopped calmly just outside Violet City's gate, leaning on a tree nearby. The city was spread before him, shadowed slightly by the Sprout tower at the edge of it's border. He paused, reaching into his pocket, and pulled a pokeball out of his pocket. Inside, Adagio wriggled happily, looking up at Sprout Tower.  
"See that?" He said, "That's the Sprout tower. We're going to go there first." He paused, before looking down to where Mars lay in his pocket. He and Mars had done some training earlier, but it wasn't really enough to battle the gym. They both needed more practice. The ball Mars was in heated up, sending a trail of smoke through his pocket. He quickly reached in, feeling his fingers instantly burn as he touched it. He opened it, letting Mars hop out in a blaze. Mars shook himself out, spewing fire a few feet, before turning to look at Coda with an audible snort of disdain.  
"You alright?" Coda asked. Mars let out a snarl, looking over at Sprout tower, and lighting up his back excitedly. Coda laughed, kneeling down to pet the Cyndaquil's head, ignoring Mars' attempt to snap his teeth around his wrist.  
"No, Mars, we can't torch Sprout Tower, we need what's inside it right now." Mars screeched at him indignantly, pitch rising as Coda straightened up again, stretching and clearly ignoring him. Mars' teeth snapped at Coda, before he was quickly returned to his ball.  
"You really need to learn to control that Cyndaquil." Came a voice from behind him. Coda turned slowly to see the red-haired boy from before standing there. A smile slid across his face as he looked the boy over, noticing the pokeball at his belt.  
"I see you picked up a friend since I last saw you. Tell me, is it actually yours?"  
The boy gritted his teeth a little, taking a threatening step forward, but Coda didn't move. The boy's hand brushed the pokeball, as his light red eyes met Coda's dark red.  
"Get out of my way. You don't want to fight me."  
"Why's that?" Coda's smile didn't falter, "Sounds like it could really get our Pokemon pumped up to kill a few Bellsprouts!”  
“Kill...Wait, Bellsprouts?”  
“Yeah.” Coda tilted his head a little, looking the other boy over. The size of the chip on his shoulder could blot out the sun, “They’re these little plant-things that have mouths full of-”  
“I know what a bellsprout is.” The boy said coldly, “This is Bellsprout tower? The one where you can get that HM?”  
“Darn right. But that’s not why I’m here. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of being able to blind others so I can go through a cave, but getting a whole move just for that seems kind of pointless. Besides,” Coda held up Mars’ ball, “I have a pokemon that’s back is on fire. How sick is that?”  
“I…..have no answer for that.”  
“So, want to battle?” Coda asked, holding Mars out to him, “What better way to get this little hellraiser under control than having him kick the shit out of someone?”  
The boy sighed, before reaching into his pocket, clearly annoyed, “If I do it, will you leave me alone?”  
“It’s rather unlikely, but you’ll get a ten-minute respite at least. Isn’t that worth it?”   
The boy sighed, before reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a pokeball as well. A long, thin crack branched out across its red surface, with a very familiar dent.  
“Hey!” Coda laughed, “I know that ball, it’s the one I hit Elm with! I think I nearly broke his skull with it!”  
“You really shouldn’t be proud of that.”  
“You stole that Totodile, please don’t lecture me.” Coda opened his pokeball, letting Mars back out. As the cyndaquil burst out again, a flare of heat hit both of them, his fire lighting Coda’s grinning face in an eerie glow. The boy stepped back a little in surprise at the intensity of the fire, bringing up an arm to block it. The grass between them blackened and curled a little from the sparks, and Coda calmly held a hand out to the boy.  
“Well, let’s see what that Totodile can do.”  
The boy hesitated a moment, before pulling out his pokeball, and throwing it to the ground. A Totodile hopped out, looking anxiously back to it’s trainer, before baring it’s teeth in a threatening manner at Mars. Mars hissed back, flames spiking higher. A moment or two passed, before Coda pointed to the Totodile.  
“Kick her ass.”   
Mars leapt forward, slamming his body into the confused pokemon, knocking her off her feet. She stumbled, clamping her jaws around Cyndaquil’s back leg. Mars spat furiously, flaring his back up again, forcing her to let go.   
“Totodile, get another grip on him! You’ll be fine!” The boy called, but Coda was faster.  
“Mars, tackle her into the tree!”   
Mars furiously planted his legs in the dirt, slamming Totodile against a nearby tree, sending out sparks that fizzled out in midair. Small trails of smoke from where Mars had rolled against the grass sent up a threat of a fire, but Coda ignored it with a gleeful expression. Totodile struggled for a moment, before she went still. Mars let out a triumphant snarl, and reared back to give one final bite to the pokemon’s neck, before Coda calmly returned him to the ball. The ball rocked back and forth, quickly heating up, before Coda pocketed it and casually stomped out the small fires before they could spread too far. The boy in front of him slowly returned Totodile as well, narrowing his eyes at Coda.  
“He could have killed her.”  
“I wouldn’t have let anything happen to her.” Coda smiled again, “I had the situation under control.”  
The boy rolled his eyes, before pocketing Totodile again, and shoved Coda aside as he walked by, “You only won because you can’t control that thing. If you don’t try training it, you won’t be able to stop it in time later.”  
“I don’t mind Mars doing what he wants.” Coda leaned against the tree again, “It’s up to him. I just need him to break my family’s ancient-” He broke off as the boy stormed off. Coda paused for a heartbeat, before walking towards the tower again. A strange, cold feeling began to work its way up his legs, and Coda pushed the door open.


	5. Chapter 4

Coda paused a moment after stepping into Sprout tower, hand falling to the pokeballs in his pocket. The place was, strangely enough, much emptier than he'd really expected. As far as he could see, there weren't any monks around, or Bellsprouts for that matter. There was, in fact, a sort of emptiness around him that seemed to amplify the sound of his own heartbeat until it rushed in his ears. Coda could feel Adagio stop wriggling around in her ball as he walked further in, letting the door swing shut behind him. He was about to open Mars' ball to light the place, when he realized that he could still see fairly well. A pale purplish black light seemed to fill the area around him, rolling around his feet like gas. He knelt down taking a deep breath, relishing the feeling of a sharp iciness suddenly rolling down his spine. It felt like inhaling death itself.  
“So,” He said softly, “I heard there were a few ghosts here, but I didn’t think I’d run into you yet.”  
At the sound of his voice, the smoke seemed to dissipate, rolling away from the walls to reveal a strange mural before him. It looked like the tower from the outside, blazing with fire, with stick-people standing outside screaming. Beside it, a Ghastly hovered in front of a massive pyramid of paint cans, awkwardly staring at Coda as floating chalk slowly slid down the wall in front of it. Coda offered the ghost a smile as it continued its singular line, not breaking eye contact.  
“I like your picture. I’m guessing you have some influence from Taijiri? I can see it in the linework.”  
The Ghastly finally let the chalk drop, before levitating one of the paint cans. Still not breaking eye contact with Coda, it splattered red paint over the whole thing, before dropping the can again. Coda watched the paint drip down for a moment, before reaching casually into his pocket,  
“Fascinating…..tell me, do you know where I can find some monks to battle? I need to raise my level before I go fry some birds….” He paused, eyes suddenly focusing, “Birds who are almost all normal type….. You’re a ghost.”  
Seeming not to hear him, the Ghastly picked up another paint can, and began more liberally shaking blue paint over the red paint, making purple flecks. As Coda watched, the purple flecks began to connect a bit into a long, crack-like line across the wall, before the Ghastly seemed to lose interest, and picked up green paint.  
“Want to come with us?”   
The paint can clattered to the ground, and the Ghastly slowly turned to face him, eyes unfocused. It hovered in place for a moment, before letting out an unholy screech. The mist on the floor seemed to gather itself up, and twist around Coda’s body, lifting him into the air. Through the fog, Coda could see dozens of little Ghastly eyes staring at him, all screeching. Coda tried to reach into his pocket for Mars’ ball, but the grip of the Ghastlys kept him still. The one who had screamed first made a final splash of green along the bottom of its red and purple masterpiece, before launching itself at Coda. Its gaseous body surrounded him, instantly cutting off his oxygen. Coda gasped in surprise, feeling the cold suddenly flood his lungs again, freezing his chest as the gas slipped into his body. Instantly, a whiny, high-pitched voice filled his mind,  
“You want me to come with you?! Philistine! You wouldn’t know true art if it walked up and punched you in the gut, tore your heart out, and painted with it! What could you possibly offer me!? Philistine! Philistine!”   
Coda forced his jumbling thoughts to focus as the Ghastly’s voice shrieked the word Philistine over and over in his mind,  
“Well,” He managed to choke out, “If you come with me, you can evolve into a Haunter and then a Gengar. Then you’ll actually have hands.”  
Ghastly’s shrieks of philistine stopped, and the smoke around Coda’s face seemed to diminish.  
“.....hands?” The whiny voice wondered aloud, “And…...later….feet. Think of the new mediums I could achieve! Pottery! Dance! Homicide! Aerialist displays!”  
“Yes.” Coda said in a paternal voice, choosing to ignore the concerning part, “You won’t have to painstakingly levitate paint cans in a tiny, isolated room anymore. The whole world can see your art.”  
“I could interpret the future in whole new ways!”  
“Sure.” Coda said dreamily, slowly losing consciousness, “Of course, if I die, you’re probably going to be stuck here forever.”   
Instantly, the Ghastlys around Coda dropped him, the main one quickly trickling away from his face so he could breathe again. Coda reached into his pocket, holding out a pokeball to the Ghastly’s face.  
“For the art!” Cried the Ghastly.  
“Sure.” Coda opened the ball, letting the Ghastly slip inside, gripping it shut the moment he was inside. The ball vibrated a bit, before going completely still. Smiling vaguely, Coda put the Ghastly away, and pulled out Adagio, who he could see was flopping around worriedly inside her ball.  
“Hey, hey girl, I’m fine.” He reassured her, “It’ll apparently take a lot more than that to kill me. I don’t think I’m going to let that Ghastly back in my head, though. His voice was grating.”  
Adagio seemed to relax a bit, but still nudged the edge of the ball where his fingers were, trying to affectionately nip him. Coda smiled more genuinely, before pocketing her again. He looked at the picture that the Ghastly had been painting, tilting his head a little. Now, with the green, it looked almost like a purple crack on a green landscape. He knelt down, frowning. If this was supposed to be a landscape, why did it look like the sky was burning? He paused, almost reaching to touch it, before his eyes seemed to snap back into focus, and he quickly stood up, looking at the nearest stairwell. He pulled out the Ghastly’s pokeball, finally showing his teeth.  
“Alright…..Allegro. Let’s see what you can do.”


	6. Chapter 5

Coda paused, frowning as something in his back pocket began to vibrate. He'd been in the middle of a battle with a monk, who's Bellsprout was clearly having difficulty holding her own against Mars and Allegro, when the vibrating started, followed by the sound of the Lapras song. The monk frowned, folding his arms tiredly as Coda suddenly realized that it was his Pokegear. He wanted to ignore it, but the Lapras song was getting louder.  
"Um. Excuse me." He sighed, pulling the Pokegear out of his pocket, flipped it open, and pointed to Mars "Use Ember. Hello?"  
The monk stormed off, crispy Bellsprout in hand, but Coda was too distracted by the person in the Gear's screen. It was a slightly older girl, around fourteen or fifteen, with skin a few shades darker than Coda's own, with long, curly brown hair, and a surprisingly intense pair of purple eyes. Those purple eyes were narrowed in irritation as she glared at him. She was sitting in an unfamiliar living room, leaning against a red couch.  
"Day?" He asked in surprise, watching as one of her hands flew up, fingers flashing to to a 'D' symbol, before pointing to herself. In the corner of the screen, Coda spotted an abnormally small Growlithe with tiny, flattened ears watching her fingers intently.  
"Coda." She made a C, pointing at him, "You were supposed to call me when you left your house, your mother has been calling me nonstop about it." Coda watched as her hands and fingers flicked through the words, almost missing the moment she expected him to respond.  
"Oh, right, sorry. I didn't call you because...." He paused, trying to think of an excuse, "Well, to start, I forgot. And because you're hard to talk to on video."  
"How am I hard to talk to?" Again, he found his gaze drawn to her hands, almost as much as her Growlithe was. Day rolled her eyes.  
"You know Hestia here can't hear us."  
"She doesn't need to know what's going on in our conversation." Coda muttered quietly. Day paused her hand for a moment, and Coda could hear Hestia growling gently at him. Day looked over, signing quickly to the Growlithe, until she grew quieter, sinking her head on Day's lap, watching her hands with the same amount of interest. Coda leaned against the wall, tugging on a strand of his hair as an awkward silence followed, before he awkwardly threw out,  
"How's the sanity going?"  
Day raised an eyebrow, slowly signing out what he'd asked, exchanging a glance with her Growlithe. She signed a few more things that Coda couldn't quite catch, save for her spelling out Elise. His mother's name.  
"Day, you're being rude."   
She paused again, as if only just realizing she'd been doing it, before clearing her throat, "I was just explaining Aunt Elise's personal.....beliefs to Hestia. Coda, I didn't think you believed in the curse."  
"You don't?"  
"Not really." Day's hands flashed by again, signing rapidly. "No one here in Alola thinks it's a thing."  
"Day, have you MET our family?" Coda snorted.  
"I've met my parents, who are completely fine."   
"That's like saying there's no such thing as Pokerus just because your Pokemon have never contracted it." Coda looked up, spotting the salty monk from before complaining to an older looking man. Coda smiled at them, before looking back at Day on the Gear, "Just because your side of the family is fine, doesn't mean there's no such thing as an ancient curse placed on our family by an angry guardian spirit hundreds of years ago!"  
On the sofa behind Day, he spotted an older pink-haired woman sit up in surprise, before lying back down as if he hadn't spoken. Day stayed silent, hand carefully moving offscreen, Hestia following it's movements.  
"Look." Day said quietly, "I'm not in the mood to argue about this with you right now, okay? You're in Violet City, right?"  
"mmmmyeup." Coda looked up to see the older monk standing in front of him, waiting patiently, "Day, I have to go."  
"Call me when you're done with Falkner!" She called, before Coda could hang up.  
"I don't want to."  
"DO IT!"  
Coda hissed inwards, sighing slowly, "Ffffiiiiiiinee." He growled, "I'll call you."   
Before she could answer him, Coda hung up tiredly, looking over at the monk in front of him. The monk stared back for a moment, before Coda began to walk away. The monk caught him by the shoulder, eyes narrowed.  
"We're going to have to ask you to leave. Your Cyndaquil is threatening to burn the building down." Coda looked over, looking at the lewd gestures Mars was making at the terrified Bellsprouts. Coda smiled at the monk.  
"He doesn't mean that." Coda assured him, "He's just expressing himself."  
"I don't care what he's doing, you need to control him."   
Coda looked over to Mars, sighing a little. He reached into his pocket, pulling out Mars' ball, returning him safely, before turning to look at the other monks, all of whom looked as though they wanted to punch him.  
"Thank you." The older monk said, "Now please leave."  
Coda looked at Mars inside the pokeball tilting his head a little, "Well I'm glad you learned Ember, at least. You want to cook some birds? We have a new friend with us too who can help." The ball erupted in heat, but Coda rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you'll love him. Come on." He pocketed the ball again, shaking out his burned hand, before looking over to the monks. "Thanks for-"  
"Leave." The monk snapped.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the first part of what I hope is a four-part series. Seth will not be the main character, that will fall to a character named Coda, who is the main character of Orange. Hopefully, Orange will go over well enough to warrant sequels, so let's see how it's received.


End file.
